Cold & Flu During Holiday Travel?!
There’s plenty you can do to stay well this season!
Whether gearing up to travel and see loved ones this season, around little kids sharing germs at daycare, or just want to keep your body well this time of year, let’s talk about what can be done to stay healthy! The following tips are how I keep my body healthy during times of travel, stress and illness.
1. How much sleep does my body need to stay well?
This is the probably the most crucial, because sleep has such an enormous impact on our immune health. When we don’t get enough sleep, our antibody response to infections actually diminishes, leaving us susceptible to infections we otherwise would have fought off. Data shows that getting less than 6 hours sleep raises risk of getting an infection by 27%. So keep it cool, dark and quiet in your bedroom, and try to get those 7-9 hours! Another big trick for optimizing sleep quality is trying not to eat dinner super late. Do your best to protect the 2-3 hours before sleep, and if you do have a later meal try to get the family out on a post-meal walk to lower blood sugar before bed!
2. Let that sh*t go!
This can be a stressful time of year for many… last quarter in the business, school semesters wrapping up, family gatherings, you get it. Stress can seriously shift increase our risk of getting viral infections due to its impact on immunity. Stress raises things like adrenaline and cortisol as well as well as changing the way our immune system responds to invaders, increasing our risk of infections.
We may not always be able to control outside stressors, but I try during this season to be aware of what those are and do my best to accept and release them. And more tangibly, I don’t layer a bunch of physical stressors on (remember, our cells don’t know the difference between physical and emotional stress). Regarding physical stressors think intense exercise, prolonged fasting, going carb free, etc. If my body has had it from a long stressful day or week, it is not the time I reach for a long intense workout, a glass of wine, or skipping meals.
When it comes to stress, the dose makes the poison! The important thing is to not let lots of different stressors stack up. Everyone’s stress edge is different, and monitoring your HRV can help you determine if your body is being physically impacted by stress. If HRV dips, your body is sending you signals to give it rest and support.
3. Does nutrition matter?
Well, of course it does! If you’re trying to fend off illness try to limit inflammatory inputs – think ultra-processed foods, vegetable oils, sugar, dairy, wheat, and alcohol. This is the time to give yourself plenty of immune supporting foods like wild caught fish, olive oil, fruits & veggies (the brighter the better), etc. I know this can be particularly tough this time of year when all the yummy foods are everywhere to be found… my personal trick here is trying to maintain some healthy staples throughout my day especially around holidays. For me, this looks like bringing healthy snacks on the road with me, making sure to meet my protein goals so I’m not craving sugar all day, and getting a (fiber and protein rich) green smoothie earlier in the day if I know the meal will be loaded with holiday goodies.
4. When to exercise and when to rest?
Regular exercise is one of the helpful things you can do to keep your immune system functioning well, not to mention its impact on hormones and cardiovascular health! Finding that sweet spot between under and over training is the name of the game here, which of course is different for everyone (how convenient right?!). For *most* of my patients (myself included), this looks like regular strength training, zone 2 cardio a few times per week, daily walks, and sprinkles of high intensity interval training. You can use your personal trackers to monitor when your body needs more intensity or more rest, and move the dial up or down from there. If I know I am getting sick, I personally stick to long daily walks but nothing more intense than that until my body is recovered.
5. What supplements do I take to fend off illness?
When my body is under stress or fighting off illness, I have a typical stack of supplements I start. I highly recommend chatting with your doc about these, because they look different for everyone, but these are my go to’s!
· Vitamin C – I use Essential C Complex by Paleovalley, and super dose it when I’m sick or think I could be.
· NAC and/or liposomal glutathione – My personal favorites are Thorne NAC and Quicksilver glutathione.
· Electrolyte hydration – I prefer LMNT or Redmond Relyte, or just adding Redmond Real Salt to some lemon water. This is especially important during times of actual illness or during plane travel which is super dehydrating. Avoid high sugar electrolyte drinks like Gatorade, Pedialyte or Liquid IV – it really defeats the purpose.
· My typical stack of Methylation support, Fish oil, CoQ10 and Vitamin D.
Supplements are one of the personalized aspects of what I do with patients, and this truly can and does look very different for everyone based on genetics and lab deficiencies. A shotgun approach to supplements can leave you wasting money and possibly with some new side effects from combining lots of different pharmaceuticals. One other thing to keep in mind is quality of product – make sure your products are third party tested, so you know what you’re actually getting! For this reason, my go-to brand is Thorne. Check out My Dispensary for 15% off!
6. I was exposed, now what?
If you know you’ve been exposed to an infection, it’s the time to double down on the tips above. There are also a few other things I do when I know I’m sick!
· Pack in the nutrients with the foods mentioned above and regular bone broth. Especially if the GI track is involved, I go easy on food to begin with to let my system rest and pretty much live on fluids. I add bone broth with sea salt and homemade jello (gelatin, organic fruit juice and LMNT) to keep protein and electrolytes up.
· I regularly use a Neti-pot if exposed to a respiratory infection, to help wash out the actual pathogen or virus, and reduce the inflammatory response (mucus) which reduces risk of blockage and subsequent sinus infection. I try to do this twice a day with distilled water.
· If I’m feeling really crummy and feel the need for cold&flu meds, I tend to go with Beekeeper’s Naturals brand. The throat spray and cough drops are the absolute best!
Take care of yourselves and stay well this season my friends!
A picture definitely doesn't tell the whole story, but the before and afters below serve as my reminder of just how much say we have in our health.
